Callous Saigen
Callous Saigen is a fictional character in Scars of Time, and can be considered the main male protagonist, and in latter stages of the story antagonist. He was created by Cudpug and made his debut in the first post of SoT, during which point he remained an important character throughout the entire story. Background Early Life Callous Saigen was born in an industrial town in Alvasta, to Mary Saigen and Flint Saigen. His father was an alcoholic who often beat him (Callous recalls that one of his most vivid memories is being tied up in a sack at Christmas and locked in the dark for three days), and his mother was submissive and rarely tried to protect the young boy. He took after his mother in appearance, which perhaps sparked the aggression from his father - Mary and Flint had been wedded in a loveless marriage after Mary fell pregnant after a one-night stand, and Flint did not wish to disgrace Ledah by having a child outside of Wedlock. Being religious fanatics, Mary and Flint both forced religion upon Callous, teaching him Ledah's Will and prayer from a young age. He carried these teachings with him into adulthood. At the age of 7, Callous' father in an especially cruel act of rage raped his mother in front of him, and Callous was forced to watch. This mental scarring caused Callous to inflict damage on others around him - at school, he would frequently get into fights and be suspended. School finished for Callous at age 8, when he threw a brick at a student and split their head open. He was forced to leave the school, and his father punished him severely. During this period, his mother ran away and disappeared from his life, fearful of what Flint might do. Callous was left to fend for himself on the streets when his father turned deeper into an alcoholic spiral and forgot about Callous entirely. He spent two months on the streets, until he was picked up in a bundled mess by the owner of an orphanage after reports that a young boy was roaming the streets alone, finding scraps of food and begging. He took Callous back to the capital city of Illuminor, where he remained until age 14, during which time he lost his virginity to a girl at the orphanage called Lucia, and made friends as he slowly began to trust people once more, and learnt to control his rage. Teenage years and adulthood During his stay at the orphanage, Callous was accepted fondly by others due to his wild nature. Although he still caused havoc he was treated kindly by the owners, and was taught of human kindness. At age 14 he departed to train at the Griffin Academy after being scouted by General Epsilion Nabreus, where his skills with the sword were observed and given merit. He was recruited and proved himself during the trials, and given a scholarship to attend the Academy formally. Callous left the orphanage near his 15th birthday, and arrived at the Academy fresh-faced and willing to work hard. During his time at the Academy he quickly ascended through the ranks, being a quick learner and a fearless opponent. He constantly attempted to better himself and demanded that he could be allowed to join the army early, although the legal age was 18. On his 18th birthday he was allowed to serve in his first battle - a skirmish in Garuuz to take the western shores. The battle was a success and Callous was awarded a medal for courage and fortitude. He was promoted after saving the life of others in the same regiment as he, and after becoming a Lieutenant and remaining in this position for eight months, he was promoted to Captain near age 19. It was during this time that a new scheme was introduced by the Church of Ledah to allow Griffins, the alleged children of Ledah to become part of the national service, quite mysteriously as only two of these majestic beasts still remained in Griffin form (the others having been Redeemed previously over the last one hundred years). Callous was allowed to test the combat abilities of these creatures and was given command of the eldest Griffin, Agatio. The two, although finding little friendship out of their pairing, became a formidable force and during the seizing of Fort Raewald, Callous was made official Captain of the Griffin Regiment. Significance to Storyline Scars of Time - Season 1 Callous in Season 1 plays an important role as Captain of the Griffin Riders. His position gives him authority over the others in the group (Ranna and Aerin), as well as over his recruits, who he often treats with little respect. He is a hard-lining soldier by nature, and cares little for compassion. His personality is a difficult nut to crack - he is respectful to his superiors and often shows great pride in his line of duty, yet he can also be rather foul-tempered and quick to anger. His sense of humour is lacking, and he cares lit tle for the games and jokes of Ranna and Aerin. He is known to frequently pretend to forget Ranna's name (often calling her Rita or another variation of an 'R' name), in order to spark a reaction in her. In many ways he is an observationist - he isn't especially vocal, and instead passes snide comments whenever they seem appropriate. He is also infamous for delivering huge rants, during which time he gets carried away and often says cruel things to people (Ranna especially). He lacks respect for women, mostly due to the awkward relationship between his mother and father, and seems to bring a misogynistic view to most arguments (commenting that Ranna can't fight because she's a girl etc.). He is, however, kind at heart and often saves the lives of those he is in charge of protecting, although he never admits to caring for them - saving them in his mind is merely 'practical'. He is not especially popular with the people of the Academy, but is respected and feared by recruits and soldiers. During Season 1, during the civil war between Eastern and Western Alvasta (Monks of the Prism; Church of Ledah) Callous remains the stoic, severe leader that gets his company out of trouble but doesn't open up particularly. However, it is during the climax of the first season that the relationship between Callous and Ranna blooms - flirty comments and general slapstick communication between them is present throughout the entire ordeal, and Agatio often notes that Callous likes her more than he lets on. Although Callous denies this, during the ending of the first Season when Ranna and he are left alone expecting death under a waterfall, the two finally confess that there are feelings between one another after Callous accidentally lets it slip. The two embrace and share a kiss, and it seems that during the end of Season 1, the two will be forming some sort of relationship. Scars of Time - Season 2 In Season 2, Callous plays a more antagonistic role within the narrative for the majority of the season. He is initially in a relationship with Ranna, and has since been promoted to General within Alvasta's army, the monarchy now taken over by Soviel Archon after the religious civil war. During the Redemption of Agatio and Quince, Callous is forced to stay behind, grieving over the body of Agatio after he finds out the truth about Redemption from Soviel. Ranna and Quince escape, and Callous is left at the mercy of Soviel. However, rather than killing him Soviel senses the power that Callous possesses and finds a use for him. He corrupts Callous with visions of Ledah, and locks him away until he chooses to obey him. He promises him a title as Divine Enforcer, as well as power beyond his wildest dreams, and after being kept in the darkness for a period of time Callous finally submits. He becomes bound to Soviel and ascends to the rank of his second-in-command, trusted above even Epsilion and Rhotau, the former of which takes a disliking to Callous. Callous loses his connection with his human nature as Soviel forces voices into his head, claiming that Ledah is contacting him to carry out her Will. Callous is not seen for a long period of time in the story at this point (the story focuses on Ranna arriving in Garuuz and meeting Cole Koreon and Shion Alsedo). When he returns he is part of the attack on the Capital of Sparda, during which point he encounters Ranna and sees that she has sided with the enemy. She makes an attempt to speak with him, but he disappears back into the night on ethereal wings gifted to him by Ledah. Callous remains at Soviel's side for much of the second season, fighting the group but fleeing when Ranna and he cross paths. When the group attempt to find Solomon's Key in Carditsa after finding the Submerged Sanctum, Callous runs into them and steals the weapon for himself. The group pursue him and Ranna challenges him to fight, finally accepting that he has chosen to side with Soviel over her. The two fight and Callous loses, dropping Solomon's Key and falling to the floor in shame, asking for Ranna to take his life. She refuses however and informs him that she still loves him, and he leaves in silence during the groups preparation for the final battle. That night he enters Ranna's chambers and the two speak at length, during which time he apologises for hurting her and the two finally consumate their relationship. The next morning Callous has left, leaving a letter to Ranna stating that he is sorry. The group head to Arden for the final battle, and encounter Callous again after defeating Rhotau. He enters the Tower during the confrontation with Soviel and finally joins Ranna and the others in fighting him. After an epic duel during which point the spirits of the Griffins, united with Quince, destroy Soviel, the Tower of Redemption begins to crumble. As they're making their escape, Callous stays behind to seal Ledah's Prayer, which has activated due to the Redemption of Quince after Soviel's death. Callous uses Solomon's Key to suppress the colossal energy from the Griffins long enough for the others to escape, before he is caught in the blast as the Tower collapses. In the wake of the rubble Callous is not seen, and it seems as if he has been lost to the fallen Tower. However, during the epilogue of Scars of Time, Callous returns a year later as Ranna is laying flowers at his grave. He is seen touching her on the shoulder, mentioning something that he said to her the first time they embraced during the Waterfall scene in Season 1. The Season ends with Callous returning to Ranna's side, the graves of Cole and Quince blessed by sunlight from above. Gateway to Destiny In Gateway to Destiny Callous plays more of a cameo role rather than being a main character. The narration at the beginning of the Gateway to Destiny summarising the events of Scars of Time are read from Callous' perspective. Interestingly, The Scars of Time is a novel written by Callous in the era of Gateway to Destiny (set twenty years after his adventure), during which he records what happened during his service with Soviel. In this way, the first and second seasons become an actual book within a book. The Scars of Time was written by Callous during his one-year imprisonment in the confides of Miror, the land above Asgard. When the Tower of Redemption collapsed, Callous was warped to Miror, where he was left alone in the freezing cold tundra finding safety within an odd structure known as the Octavarium. During Gateway to Destiny Callous has since returned to Ranna's side and had two children with her - Grayson, 17, and Taima, 13. His outrageous claims of a world above Asgard are rejected by most, and Callous has become something of a laughing-stock, The Scars of Time grimoire being seen as a work of fiction. Callous mainly takes a back-seat within Gateway to Destiny, and his biggest role is in releasing Grayson from prison and sending him on his quest with the group. He plays little role otherwise, although is mentioned frequently, and when Miror reveals itself to the world below after Aspect Abuse damages the sky above, his claims become widely accepted. Connections to other Characters Callous Saigen has an important connection to a large majority of the characters within The Scars of Time and Gateway to Destiny: *'Ranna Forena' - Callous and Ranna have a turbulent and eventful relationship, starting out as Captain/recruit and eventually becoming star-crossed lovers. *'Shion Alsedo' - The two form a rivalry during the Second Season of Scars of Time which lasts for the majority of the story, until Callous eventually joins the group. *'Gemna Til Armados' - Callous has once been romantically linked to Gemna, and the two are good friends. *'Aerin Kato' - Callous is Aerin's Captain, and over the course of the first Season Aerin looks up to him, and the two form a student/pupil relationship. *'Agatio' - Callous looks after and protects Agatio. They are comrades in arms and work together for the first season and beginning of the second. *'Quince '- Callous is frowned upon as a bad influence to Ranna by Quince during her attraction to him, which isn't helped when he betrays them. *'Epsilion Nabreus' - Callous and Epsilion have a rivalry within Soviel's service. In Gateway to Destiny, Callous is ruthlessly opposed to The Senate formed by Epsilion. During the first season, Callous serves Epsilion, who is his superior. *'Rhotau Brazenwulf '- Seen as a legendary General to Callous in the first season, and a close companion in the second. *'Grayson Saigen' - Grayson is Callous' son, who plays a role as a main character in Gateway to Destiny. The two have a poor relationship, as Callous struggles to control and relate to Grayson. *'Taima Saigen' - Taima is Callous' young daughter, who features as a cameo character in Gateway to Destiny. The two have a close relationship, and Taima has Callous wrapped around her little finger. *'Soviel Archon' - Callous serves against Soviel in the first season and for him in the second. He is corrupted by Soviel and serves as his second-in-command, before turning on him during the stories climax. Reception Callous has been hailed as being an interesting and complex main protagonist, who hasn't been glorified and represents a very realistic character. Although Callous is a strong fighter, he has emotional burdens that cripple him frequently throughout the story. In spite of this, he never descends into depression or angst, and instead masks his inner pain with a prideful exterior and often sadistic humour. During the first season he has been lauded as being the in Ranna and Aerin's side during their comical antics, but adding to the humour because of this. In the second season, it was seen odd that he loses significance for a large portion of the story, although this gives other characters a chance to develop before Callous returns. Praise has been aimed at his development, his love for his job and religion standing in the way of his love for Ranna, and the way he responds to racial discrimination of the Garuuzian people to shed light on the cultural differences between Alvasta and Garuuz. He the usual stereotypical clichès of the typical hero, instead giving us a dystopian themed hero abundant in gritty realism and dark humour not often seen in male leads. Seraphim Swordmaster, however, came up with a notably different interpretation of Callous' character. While he praised the character's personality and inner struggles, he also saw him in a much more villainous light. In Seraphim's analysis of the character, he referred to him as a "manipulative plotter" whose reunion with the woman he loved was stalled by his own lust for power. He also did not believe that Soviel was the true mastermind behind Callous' turn from heroism, citing the reason as the fact that Soviel was "far too obviously evil for Callous to be fooled by", and that his eventual return to Ranna's side came off as part of a "villainous escape clause" that spares his life in the event that Soviel is defeated. The fact that Callous receives no real punishment for his actions as Soviel's aide and is quickly reaccepted as a protagonist have also drawn criticism.